英语阅读材料

英语阅读材料Passage 1.WoodpeckerThere are many apple trees in a garden. They’re good friends. One day an old tree is ill. There are many pests in the tree. Leaves of the tree turn yellow. The old tree feels very sad and unwell. Another tree sends for a doctor for him. At first, they send for a pigeon, but she has no idea about it. Then they send for an oriole, and she can’t treat the old tree well. Then they send for a woodpecker. She is a good doctor. She pecks a hole in the tree and eats lots of pests. At last the old tree becomes better and better. Leaves turn green and green.Passage 2.A Busy DayToday is Sunday! On Sundays, I usually play the flute. My father usually reads the newspaper. My mother usually cleans the house. But today my mother is in bed. She is ill. My father has to do the housework. Now, he is cleaning the house. “Sam, can you help me?” “Yes, Dad!” Now, we’re washing the car. Where’s my s ister, Amy? She is playing my flute. What a lucky girl!Passage 3.The dog and his reflectionOne day a dog with a piece of meat in his mouth was crossing a plank over a stream. As he walked along, he looked into water, and he saw his reflection. He thought this was another dog carrying a piece of meat. And he felt he would like to have two pieces. So he snapped at the reflection in the water, and of course, as he opened his mouth, the piece of meat disappeared quickly.Passage 4.An honest boyTony is seven years old. He is an honest and polite boy. One day, it was Sunday. Tony, his sister and his mother stayed at home. He was watching TV and his sister was reading books. His mother was washing clothes. Just then, his father came back with a bag of pears. Tony likes pears very much and he wanted to eat one. His mother gave him four and said, “Let’s share them.” “Which pear do you want, Tony?” asked his mother. “The biggest one, mum.” “What?” said his mother, “You should be polite and want the smallest one.”“Should I tell a lie just to be polite, mum?”Passage 5.A b irthday partyToday is Susan’s birthday. She is nine years old. Her friends are in her home now. There is a birthday party in the evening. Look! Mary is listening to the music. And Tom is drinking orange juice. Jack and Sam are playing cards on the floor. Lily and Amy are watching TV. Someone is knocking at the door. It’s Henry. He brings a big teddy bear for Susan. The teddy bear is yellow. Susan is very happy. All the children are happy. They sing a birthday song for Susan.Passage 6.The Farmer and the SnakeIt was a cold winter day. A farmer found a snake on the ground. It was nearly dead by cold. The Farmer was a kind man. He picked up the snake carefully and put it under the coat. Soon the snake Began to move and it raised its mouth and bit the farmer. “Oh, My god!” said the farmer, “I save your life, but you thank me in that way. You must die.” Then he killed the snake with a stick. At last he died, too.Passage 7.Two Young TreesTwo young trees are standing on the top of the hill. Their names are Tim and Alan.One day, it’s sunny and warm. Some birds are singing in thetrees. The wind blows, and the trees are talking. “What do you want to be when you grow up?’’ asks Tim. “I’m not sure. I think I want to be a chair or a desk.” answers Alan, “Maybe I want to be a toy box or a baseball bat. I like children.”“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asks Alan. “Me?” says Tim, “I just want to be a tree. I want to be a house for birds and spiders.I want to have many apples. And when it’s sunny and hot, people and animals can stand under me.”Passage 8.Hon gkong is a nice placeHong Kong is a nice place, especially in summer. July is a hot month in Hong Kong. But it’s an excellent time for swimming. There is a beautiful beach at Repulse Bay (浅水湾). To get there, you can take a bus from Central. Lots of people go to the beach on Sundays and Saturdays. But if you go on a weekday, it is will be not so crowded.Visitors to Hongkong need passports. But people from many countries do not need visas. Hongkong is a nice place for holiday. There are many shops.Passage 9.WaterWater is very important for living things. Without water,there must be no life on the earth. All the plants and animals need water to drink, to cook food and to clean ourselves. Water is needed in farms, factories, offices, schools, families and many other places. Water is found in seas, rivers and lakes. It can be found everywhere in the world, and it also can be found in the air.Passage 10.Tw ins’ BedroomThis is the twins’ bedroom. It is a nice room. The two beds look the same. This bed is Lily’s and that one is Lucy’s. The twins have one desk and two chairs. Their clock, books and pencil-boxes are on the desk. Their schoolbags are behind the chairs. Some nice flowers are on the desk. Some nice pictures are on the wall. Is there a kite? Yes, it’s under Lily’s bed. The bedroom is very nice.Passage 11.DogsOne of the animals that help people a lot is the dog. In some countries, dogs pull wagons. In the cold north, dogs pull sleds. There are other ways that dogs help us, too. Policemen use them to look for missing people. Soldiers use them to carry letters and medicine .On farms, dogs take care of sheep and keep them inthe fields. At night, they take the sheep home. Dogs help the blind with work. Some dogs are good and kind. Some dogs are good at another skill.Passage 12.Th e Best JobBetty is a lazy girl. She doesn’t study hard, and she doesn’t help her mother with the housework, either. “What are you going to be when you grow up, Betty?” Mother asks. “You’re too lazy. No job will ever fit you.” “But I know one,” says the girl, “I’m going to be Father Christmas,” “You want to be Father Christmas?” Mother is surprised, “But why?” “Because he works only one day in a whole year.”Passage 13.A Clever MonkeyA little monkey picks up a pumpkin and wants to take it home. But the p umpkin is too b ig. The monkey can’t take it home. Suddenly he sees a panda riding a bike towards him. He watches the bike. “l have a good idea. I can roll the pumpkin. It likes a wheel.” So he rolls the pumpkin to his home. When his mother sees the big pumpkin, she is surprised and says, “How can you carry it home?” The little monkey answers proudly, “l can’t lift it, but l can roll it.” His mother smiles and says, “ Whata clever boy!”Passage14. Wh at Are Stars Like?Have you ever wondered about the stars? In some ways, stars are like people. They are born. They grow old. And they die. A star is born from dust and gas. Slowly the dust and gas make a ball. The ball gets very hot. Then it starts to give off light. The young star grows into a giant. Many years go by. The older star begins to get small again. At last its light goes out. The star’s life is over.Passage 15.Ra dio and TelevisionRadio and television are very popular in the world today. Millions of people watch TV. Perhaps more people listen to the radio.The TV is more useful than the radio. On TV we can see and hear what is happening in the world. However, radio isn’t lost. It is still with us. And listeners are becoming more. That’s because a transistor radio isn’t lost. It is still with us. It is very easy to carry. You can put one in your pocket and listen to it on the bus or your bike when you go to work.Passage 16.It’s cool behind youIt’s two o’clock in the afternoon. The sun is shinning and it’s very hot. Nancy has to meet her mother at the train station.Now she’s walking in the street. There are no trees and she’s fat. So she feels very hot. But she doesn’t find a boy walking just behind her. And she meets a friend and says “hello”to him. “Who’s the boy behind you？”asks the man . Now she sees the boy. S he is angry and asks, “Why are you walking behind me, boy?” “There’s no shade in the s treet, you know.” answers the boy. “It’s cool behind you, I think.”Passage 17.Fa ther’s HobbyMy dad works from Monday to Friday in a bank. he uses the computer to count money. His job is very important in the bank.Dad is also busy at home. At weekends he cooks dinner. Usually he cooks Italian food. On Sundays he makes f ive pieces of pizza. Sometimes he cooks chicken and makes Chinese food. My mum watches and helps him. I help my dad, too. I wash the dishes.Many people think it is strange for a man to cook. But my dad enjoys his hobby. Cooking relaxes him. He is a weekend cook.Passage 18.I don’t think soJack is a good boy but he doesn’t like to use his head. He often says something withou thinking.It makes others unhappy. Mr. Black teaches math in a school. He’s old now and he likes children.On the Friday Mr. Black doesn’t go to work, because he’s ill in a hospital. And Jack’s mother will see him after dinner. “I want to be there with you.” says Jack. “You’re a rude boy. I can’t take you there.’’ says his mother. “Don’t worry, mum. I won’t do that again. Please believe me. ” says Jack. In the hospital, Jack says nothing at first. When they’re leaving , he says to Mr. Black, “You look fine. The doctor says you’re going to die, but I don’t think so. ”Passage 19.Se ven days in a weekThere are about fifty-two weeks in a year. And there are seven days in each week. The first day of a week is Sunday. The other days of a week between Sunday and Saturday are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday. Monday is the second day,Tuesday is the third day, Wednesday is the fourth day, Thursday is the fifth day, and Friday is the sixth da y. What’s the last day? Do you know?Passage 20.My special FriendI have a friend in the U.S. His name is Don Adams. I know him very well, but I have never met him. We write to each other all the time. My letters are very short. It is still hard for me to write in English. I received a letter from Don yesterday. It makes me very happy. He is coming to my country for a visit next summer. We are going to see each other for the first time.。